Description
Blue passionflower likes loose sandy or gravelly soils and does best when planted against a brick wall that retains heat during cold winter weather. Too much manure or compost will result in lush vegetative growth and poor flowering. Go light on fertilizer and water deeply, but infrequently; passionflowers should be encouraged to reach deep into the earth for water. When motivated to do so, they are capable of developing amazing root systems to sustain them though droughts and freezes. Passafloras flower on new growth, so they may be pruned early in the growing season. It is best to cut some stems back nearly to the base, rather than just trim the tips. The terminal buds may be pinched out to encourage branching. Always keep some green foliage on the plant to keep the sap rising and encourage rapid regrowth. The roots may be weakened and become subject to fungal infection if too much top growth is removed at once. Don’t try to train passionflower to be too neat and compact; branches allowed to hang loose and droop a bit will be the ones most inclined to flower. Blue passionflowers will regrow from deep roots after even severe freezes. (Courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder)
